Toronto SUN article/interview-May 2/08
lightf...@rogers.com
pic can be viewed at: http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=18447
Fri, May 2, 2008
Recording sundownGordon Lightfoot is done with recording new songs,
but he's hitting the road with vigor
By JANE STEVENSON, SUN MEDIA
Once a troubadour, always a troubadour. So says Canadian folk-pop
legend Gordon Lightfoot.
The road still beckons for the 69-year-old Orillia, Ont., native,
especially now that his recording career essentially ended with his
2004 CD Harmony, released independently after his 28-year-major-label
contract had expired.
Playing live is his thing now.
"That's what I did at the start, that's what I do now. For the first
five years of my career that's all I did was play in bars and lounges
and coffee houses," Lightfoot said in Toronto this week.
DOING GREAT SHOWS
"(After) I finished my recording contract in 1998 at Reprise, I've
said, 'No, I'm going to leave it alone now. I'm going to get back to
doing some great shows.' Well, we made one more album (Harmony) as an
after-thought. It was something to keep me busy while I was getting
better."
Lightfoot was referring to his much-publicized brush with death in
2002. He suffered a stomach aneurysm and fell into a coma, which took
him 19 months to recover from after multiple surgeries.
He's now back to a touring schedule of roughly 60 shows a year. This
week he's in the midst of a four-city Ontario tour that continues
tonight in Hamilton and tomorrow in Kitchener before wrapping up May
7-10 with a four-night stand at Toronto's Massey Hall. He played April
19-20 in Ottawa. Western Canadian dates could be ahead.
A healthy exercise regime certainly seems to have helped Lightfoot's
longevity as a performer.
"I started in 1980, around about the same time that I gave up alcohol.
It sort of became a lifeline for me at that time and I kept it up, and
after a while I found out it was making me sing better and breathe
better."
Turning 70 in November will be a milestone, Lightfoot says, but he
doesn't plan on being "over-celebratory" about it.
"Maybe someone is planning a surprise party for me or something and I
don't even know about it," Lightfoot said. "I'd hate that, I don't
like surprise parties at all. But you know, whatever will be, will
be."
Still, you've got wonder if the man who penned such classics as Early
Mornin' Rain, Sundown, If You Could Read My Mind and The Wreck Of The
Edmund Fitzgerald, isn't itching to still write more.
"I have fun dealing with several ideas that I use for little practice
horses," he said. "I could go ahead and do it (make another album). I
could tie myself up and present myself with that situation of
isolation again for another three or four years, (but) some of my
kids, they're getting on there. They're into their early 40s ...
"You must put the time in (to record a CD), even if it's somewhat
divided. It would be terrible for me to try and make another record
right now. It would be just an absolute waste of time, of valuable
time, for me right now."
Reminding Lightfoot of time's value was the sudden death last December
of Barry Harvey, his manager of more than 25 years who was only age
56.
"He was a great guy," Lightfoot said quietly. "He helped me make a lot
of decisions, and you know in a kind of a way, too, he was very
protective of me. He was great with dealing with requests from people.
There's a lot of stuff that comes in that you try to be involved in
and I'm one of those people that can't say no. And Barry used to be
able to help me do that. Just say no."
'FAMILY' REUNION
Lightfoot has been performing on one of Canada's iconic musical stages
for 40 years.
"Every year is an important one at Massey Hall," Lightfoot said. "For
one thing it's like a great big family reunion, first all of all.
Secondly, it's the audience and it's the people and we know how much
they love it and we know how much is expected, and we are always well-
prepared and we're always ready. I can remember times in the past in
my career when I was not ready."
Lightfoot is talking again about his battle with booze.
"Back in the early part of my career, there was a lot of difficulty in
sort of dealing with life in general, so to speak, and you can't
really work at maximum capacity.
"Now that I've been in sort of a state of repentance for the last 28
years, I do a much better job. And I take things much more
seriously."
drb...@sbcglobal.net
donnie
in article
b82f06ba-b982-4fc6...@y21g2000hsf.googlegroups.com,
lightf...@rogers.com at lightf...@rogers.com wrote on 5/2/08 10:44 AM:
lightf...@rogers.com
wrote:
> I like the line about some of his kids "getting up there". :)
>
> donnie
>
> in article
> lightfoot...@rogers.com at lightfoot...@rogers.com wrote on 5/2/08 10:44 AM:
>
>
>
> >http://www.torontosun.com/Entertainment/Music/2008/05/02/5449611-sun....
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yep - some are 'up there' but he also has his youngest child Meredith
who will be only 14 on May 11..
lol
She's several years younger than his oldest grandkids..
oh my..
;)
